Rescuers of Jews
Jaronimas Lenktys
JARONIMAS LENKTYS
Jaronimas Lenktys was born on March 23, 1924, in Daukantiškių village, Šakiai district, in peasants' family. He attended the Gelgaudiškių school and completed four forms there. In summers the boy served for the farmers. He had to shepherd, to make the household jobs.
The Soviet occupation was replaced by Nazis occupation, Lithuania became involved into the WWII. In summertime of 1941 the mass-murder of the Jews started. The Jews of Gelgaudiškis didn't avoid it.
From Lukas Lenktaitis' (the Jaronimas Lenktys' great grandson) article "My Great Grandfather's Story" (the Jurbarkas Naujamiestis Secondary school):
"My great grandfather, a young person at the time, felt a great horror and grief because of the execution of Jews. Therefore he, asked by the mother, has managed to kidnap a little girl from the place of the Gelgaudiškis Jews imprisonning and hid the girl in his home. But the secret was revealed very soon. The neighbors appealed to gestapo about Lenktys hiding a Jewish girl. The Nazis approached immediately, took the girl away, and nobody saw her anymore. The Germans left Jaronimas alive but made a hell of his life.
He was arrested, transfered to Kaunas and imprisonned in the 9-th Fort. There he spent about a week. Then the Germans took him together with some more men, placed them into a truck and after this – replaced them into a train that went far to the west. Finally he found himself in Dachau concentration camp. It was terrible: the shooting of the Jews, the horrible life conditions. My great grandfather spent there about a month. After he was transfered to Aushwitz – the most famous "death factory" established by Nazis. My great grandfather used to tell many times how he suffered there..."
The Soviet Army has liberated Aushwitz on January 27-th, 1945. Jaronimas Lenktys broke free from the hell of the concentration camp but a long time passed till he reached his home. Russians took him to the Army. He served in the Soviet Army two years and then returned to Lithuania. He settled in the Ramoniškiai village, Šakiai district, and made a family there. During the 1947–1988 periods J.Lenktys worked in Šakiai district, in the farm "Komjaunuolis" as a truck driver. In 1988 he has retired. Jaronimas Lenktys died on December 1, 2007.
According to the law of LR, Jaronimas Lenktys was submitted as the person injured from the 1939-1990 occupation. It's important that today Jaronimas Lenktys was awarded with the "Life Savers' Cross". His deeds will be remembered.
Jaronimas Lenktys was born on March 23, 1924, in Daukantiškių village, Šakiai district, in peasants' family. He attended the Gelgaudiškių school and completed four forms there. In summers the boy served for the farmers. He had to shepherd, to make the household jobs.
The Soviet occupation was replaced by Nazis occupation, Lithuania became involved into the WWII. In summertime of 1941 the mass-murder of the Jews started. The Jews of Gelgaudiškis didn't avoid it.
From Lukas Lenktaitis' (the Jaronimas Lenktys' great grandson) article "My Great Grandfather's Story" (the Jurbarkas Naujamiestis Secondary school):
"My great grandfather, a young person at the time, felt a great horror and grief because of the execution of Jews. Therefore he, asked by the mother, has managed to kidnap a little girl from the place of the Gelgaudiškis Jews imprisonning and hid the girl in his home. But the secret was revealed very soon. The neighbors appealed to gestapo about Lenktys hiding a Jewish girl. The Nazis approached immediately, took the girl away, and nobody saw her anymore. The Germans left Jaronimas alive but made a hell of his life.
He was arrested, transfered to Kaunas and imprisonned in the 9-th Fort. There he spent about a week. Then the Germans took him together with some more men, placed them into a truck and after this – replaced them into a train that went far to the west. Finally he found himself in Dachau concentration camp. It was terrible: the shooting of the Jews, the horrible life conditions. My great grandfather spent there about a month. After he was transfered to Aushwitz – the most famous "death factory" established by Nazis. My great grandfather used to tell many times how he suffered there..."
The Soviet Army has liberated Aushwitz on January 27-th, 1945. Jaronimas Lenktys broke free from the hell of the concentration camp but a long time passed till he reached his home. Russians took him to the Army. He served in the Soviet Army two years and then returned to Lithuania. He settled in the Ramoniškiai village, Šakiai district, and made a family there. During the 1947–1988 periods J.Lenktys worked in Šakiai district, in the farm "Komjaunuolis" as a truck driver. In 1988 he has retired. Jaronimas Lenktys died on December 1, 2007.
According to the law of LR, Jaronimas Lenktys was submitted as the person injured from the 1939-1990 occupation. It's important that today Jaronimas Lenktys was awarded with the "Life Savers' Cross". His deeds will be remembered.